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Friday, April 26, 2013

"The Wanderer" by Donna Summer

Pop Bits: Feeling creatively and professionally stifled by her label, Casablanca, she left during her peak power years and moved over to the newly established Geffen label. With more control over her music, Summer wanted to move away from disco and into the newer rock/new wave movement. With her previous producers/co-writers on-board (Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte), Summer released the album "The Wanderer" and this title track (not to be confused with Dion's 1961 #2 hit of the same name) became another sizable hit in her catalog. However, it would be the only Top 10 hit from the album and that, along with Summer still being recognized as the "queen of disco," likely contributed to the album only reaching #13 and stopping her platinum streak by only going gold.

ReduxReview: This was never one of my favorite Summer tracks. It was good that she was leaving disco behind, but I just wasn't thrilled with this quirky song. Even back in the day I thought the keyboard line was pure cheese in a can. You know, this keyboard sound was used in a very similar line later in Olivia Newton-John's "Make a Move on Me," and it sounds right for that sophisticated pop song. I think "The Wanderer" is just an odd transition tune between Summer's disco days and her solid pop 80s songs.

ReduxRating: 5/10

Trivia: Having more artistic control allowed Summer to bring her newly rediscovered faith to her music. She wrote "I Believe in Jesus" and it was the last track on the album. This resulted in a Grammy nomination for Best Inspirational Performance.